Weird History 9 Misconceptions and Falsehoods About the Salem Witch Trials

One of the most interesting misconceptions about the Salem witch trials is that they were the first and only witch hunts that took place. They may be the most commonly known due to the popularity of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and numerous film adaptations on the subject, but accusing innocent people of - and executing them for - being “witches” started long before 1692. Over the span of three centuries, Europe experienced several witch trials, each as horrific as the one in Salem. While the trials in Salem lasted close to a year, some of the European trials lasted over ten years and claimed the lives of thousands.

What is significant about the Salem trials is they were some of the last to take place; they came just as the ones in Europe were dwindling. Although several trials took place in North America, no witch had been tried and executed since 1663. It was thought to be behind everyone, so when the hysteria in Salem began, it shocked and continues to shock people. As you’ll see in these witch hunt facts, no one was safe - not men, not women, not even the family pet.

Accused Witches Were Burned at the Stake

While burning “witches” was a common practice during the European witch trials, no witches were burned during the Salem witch trials. In Salem, the preferred method of execution was hanging. All of the witches who were convicted were hanged with the exception of Giles Corey, an 80-year-old man, who was pressed to death with boulders. This method was used to coerce defendants who refused to plead into talking.

Only Women Were Accused

Most people believe that only women were targeted during the Salem trials, but some sources stated that a quarter of those accused of witchcraft were men. What’s even more surprising is that of the twenty victims who were executed during the trials, six of them were men. Why were these men accused in the first place? Some were charged solely because they were related to a woman who was accused of being a witch. Others were targeted because they had ties to Wabanaki Indians who, along with the French, attacked New England settlements.

It Was Mostly Teenagers Who Were Charged

Perhaps we have the popularity of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible to blame for the belief that many of the accused women were young, but in truth, older women, particularly widowed women with no male heirs and a lot of land to their name, were just as likely to be accused of witchcraft. These women were considered to be a threat to the prosperity of the colony as they could no longer perform the all-important task of bearing and raising male children. So, instead of letting these women live out the rest of their lives in peace, sometimes very shortly after losing their significant others, their fellow villagers pointed fingers and cried “Witch!”

Those Accused Were Poor

During the trials, Salem was divided into two parts - Salem Town and Salem Village. Salem Town was a port town and the merchants who dwelled there enjoyed more prosperity than their primarily farmer counterparts in Salem Village. Most of the accused resided near Salem Town, while most of the accusers were from Salem Village. The villagers didn’t always see eye-to-eye, and those who resided farther from the port were more Puritanical than those closer to the slightly more urban Salem Town. This, coupled with the unequal distribution of wealth, could have been the seeds of discontent that eventually spurred the trials.